Making a Quinoa Crust is a natural progression from the relatively recent variety of foods benefiting from this supergrain. Ever since quinoa made its appearance on the Passover table, it has turned the Passover food options on its head. Quinoa replaces rice in Passover sushi and flour in cakes. It can also be a side dish: Quinoa with Toasted Coconut and a stuffing.
This basic Quinoa Crust is not moisture proof. Once baked, you can easily fill it with roasted vegetables without any added liquid at all. If you want to create more of a quiche feel, use no more than a total of 3/4 cup liquid (2 large eggs plus 1/4 cup vegetable broth/milk) for a 9 inch crust. When you pour that over about 1 1/4 pounds of sautéed vegetables, the vegetables absorb some of the liquid and the crust stays firm. To make it more filling or richer for a dairy meal, sprinkle parmesan or shredded mozzarella on top of the vegetables before you bake it. Once it cools, the crust can be unmolded just like a pastry crust and it cuts beautifully! It’s perfect for Passover and perfect for those who want to be gluten free all year round.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Hint: To moisture proof this crust, brush the baked crust with a layer of frothy egg whites or a thin layer of grated Parmesan cheese (for a dairy meal) and then bake it for two-three minutes more in a 350°F. oven.
Quinoa Crust
By Published: March 21, 2017
Yield:
- one 9 inch and 1 eight inch crust (6 Servings)
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 2/3 cup tomato juice any colorful vegetable juice can be used: carrot, beet, spinach
- 1 cup quinoa
Equipment
- saucepan with cover
- quiche pan with removable bottom
- cookie sheet lined with baking parchment
- cooling rack
Directions
- Hear olive oil in saucepan over medium flame. Sauté minced shallot until soft. Add tomato juice and quinoa. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover saucepan and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all the juice has been absorbed by the quinoa. Remove cover and fluff quinoa with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat oven to: 400°F.
Place quiche pan on cookie sheet. Take 1 3/4 cup of cooked quinoa and place it in the middle of the quiche pan. Using a fork, spread out the quinoa and push it up against the outside rim for the pan. Make sure the rim is thick enough not to collapse when unmolded. Press the quinoa down all around the pan in an even layer. Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before filling with any liquid. Plain roasted vegetables can be added right away.
- To unmold baked quiche: let quiche cool for about 20 minutes before unmolding it. Then, take a sharp knife and place it between each of the scallops around the edge of the pan. If you have a smooth pan, just run the knife around the outside of it separating the crust a little from the pan. Gently but firmly, push the bottom of the quiche pan through to the top and remove quiche from the outside rim. You won't be able so see the bottom of the pan; but if you want to remove it anyway, take a long handled spatula and carefully place it between the crust and the bottom and slide the quiche off on to an oven to table serving plate.
